A little sleight of hand could make all the difference. If Matt Hasselbeck and league MVP Shaun Alexander can sell play-action fakes, the Seahawks can take advantage of the Steelers' aggressive defense. Steelers safety Troy Polamalu is one of the best but he can be fooled by play action and that leads to big plays -- remember Tom Brady to Deion Branch in last year's AFC Championship Game? Alexander will get his carries but yards will come grudgingly. A couple of big plays in the passing game could take some of the aggression out of the vaunted Steelers defense.

Traveling Light

The Seahawks were 5-3 on the road in the regular season. This is a neutral site, but it's still Seattle's first postseason game away from Qwest Field. The Seahawks did play a meaningless game at Green Bay in Week 17 (Jan. 1), a 23-17 loss, but haven't had to pack their suitcases since.

Experience Factor

The Seahawks have five players who have played in a Super Bowl with other teams: center Robbie Tobeck (Falcons), punter Tom Rouen (Broncos), wide receiver Joe Jurevicius (Giants, Buccaneers), defensive end Grant Wistrom (Rams) and defensive tackle Chuck Darby (Buccaneers).

Player To Watch

Defensive end Bryce Fisher. The Seahawks don't blitz much and rely on their front four to pressure the quarterback. Fisher had a team-leading nine sacks and with the Steelers throwing the ball more often in the playoffs, he'll need to visit Ben Roethlisberger in the backfield.

Playing With A Lead

Coach Mike Holmgren saw something in Hasselbeck while they were together in Green Bay and brought him to Seattle in 2001. While he won't hesitate to put the game in his quarterback's hands, he'd prefer Alexander run away with it. Holmgren is 138-86; 11-8 postseason (3-1 NFC Championship Games, 1-1 Super Bowl).

Forcing The

Seahawks' Hand

Throwing the ball to set up the run has led the Steelers to victories over the top three seeds in the AFC. The Seahawks might've taken Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith out of the NFC Championship Game but Roethlisberger has many more options. He has thrown seven postseason touchdown passes to five different players. He has a postseason passer rating of 124.8, completing 49 of 72 passes (68.1 percent) for 680 yards. He has been intercepted once. The Steelers have increased their passing yards to 217.7 a game compared to 182.9 during the regular season. And, the Seahawks gave up 18 touchdowns and 222.4 yards passing in the regular season.

Player To Watch

Running back Jerome Bettis. Though Bettis hasn't said so officially, it's widely assumed that he will retire after the game. He'll be prominent in the game plan despite sharing time with Willie Parker. Bettis has fumbled 41 times in 3,679 regular season touches and lost only two. And after the near-disaster in Indianapolis three weeks ago, the Seahawks will have a difficult time prying the ball out of his hands.

Dirty Laundry

The Steelers won three road games to get to Detroit, so unfamiliar surroundings won't be a problem. They are the first No. 6 seed and only the second team (Patriots, 1985) to win three road playoff games to reach the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh is 9-2 on the road this year. Until this season, the Steelers had won only two road playoff games in 30 years, none under coach Bill Cowher.

Experience Factor

One Steeler, little-used CB Willie Williams, has had Super Bowl experience, with the Pittsburgh team that lost to Dallas in 1996. That's the fewest of any team in league.

Playing With A Lead

Cowher isn't relying on a journeyman at quarterback -- see Neil O'Donnell vs. Cowboys in 1996. He is 141-82-1, 11-9 in the postseason (2-4 AFC Championship Games, 0-1 Super Bowl).